Three
places on the Denton school board are on the ballot for the May 11 election.

Glenna Harris is up for re-election in Place 3, Mia Price and Donna
Woodfork are running for Place 4, and Prudence Sanchez and Charles Staffordin
are vying for Place 5.

Place
3

Harris is
running unopposed for another three-year term in Place 3.

The
60-year-old pediatrician said that given the budgetary cuts of the last
legislative biennium, she felt it important to run again and “continue the
process through to provide the best educational [success] for our students.”

Since the
last biennium, the school district has lost classroom personnel as student
enrollment continues to grow. The effects of funding cuts are still in view,
she said.

“It’s an
ongoing process to make sure we’re providing kids with a quality education and
opportunities,” Harris said. “The job’s not done yet.”

Place 4

Price,
57, said the district is “on a good path,” and experience and knowledge will be
important in continuing on that path of success.

“Having
experience and knowledge is important because, in spite of all the work we’re
doing, we still have challenges to face,” she said.

Price, an
accounts payable manager, said her commitment makes her the best candidate for
Place 4.

“I [had]
proven experience before I served on the board in addition to serving on the
board, and that’s important when challenges arise,” she said.

Issues
facing the district, she said, include the growing student population,
increased standards for accountability and the budget cap for facilities.

Woodfork,
43, who listed her occupation as a teacher, could not be reached for comment.
Last year, she ran for the Denton mayor’s seat.

Place 5

First-time
candidate Prudence Sanchez said she’s running because she’s concerned about the
future of Denton schoolchildren. The 50-year-old dental
hygienist-turned-attorney said she would offer a fresh perspective to the
school board.

She said
she’s gotten a perspective of the educational impact on children she works with
in the juvenile justice system. Sanchez said she became a lawyer to help
children aging out of the foster system and the homeless population.

Among the
issues facing the district, she said, are: student growth and the number of
those children living in poverty, which affects their education process;
children and parents with mental health issues that need to be addressed and
require the support of the community; and the need for smaller class sizes,
which lets students receive more one-on-one interaction with teachers.

“I want
to become a part of the educational process and advocate for our children,” she
said. “I just want to make sure that the needs of our children are represented.
I would just like the opportunity to serve the community. It’s one of the
reasons why I went to law school.”

Stafford,
the Place 5 incumbent, said there’s a lot of work to do and that he has the
preparation and connections to ensure it’s done.

Stafford,
60, a real estate agent, has served with Texas Association of School Boards,
including its School Board Advocacy Network and legislative advisory council,
which he says has helped him effectively represent Denton schools’ needs at the
regional and state levels.

Among the
issues he said the district faces are state funding cuts, funding for
facilities and No Child Left Behind regulations. Stafford said it’s important
to figure out how to reduce class sizes so students — such as those on free and
reduced lunch or English language learners — can receive more intensive
training, teachers don’t become burned out and there’s no breakdown to the
effectiveness of what’s being taught in the classrooms.

“I am
better positioned to be a more effective representative of the school
district,” he said. “It’s really about experience. And that gives me a head
start.”

Background

The Denton
Record-Chronicle routinely researches the backgrounds of candidates
for public office, searching criminal and civil cases, property tax payments
and other records over a 10-year period from the first day of the filing
period.

Last
year, Woodfork faced some residency questions after she was evicted from her
apartment. She said during her mayoral race that she was unfairly evicted after
her apartment manager refused rent payment arrangements through a third party.
She blamed several prior evictions on financial problems stemming from a
medical condition.

Denton
County records also showed that taxes on one of the 18 properties Sanchez owns
were overdue when they were paid on March 22.

Sanchez said she and her husband had just bought the property in a
foreclosure sale, and part of settling the purchase required them to pay the
past-due taxes.

Early
voting begins Monday. Election day is May 11.

DENTON ISD CANDIDATES

Glenna Harris (I)

Age: 60

Born in: Austin

Education: University of Texas at Austin, bachelor’s
degree in biology; UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, doctorate of
medicine

Employment: pediatrician

Mia Price (I)

Age: 57

Born in: Baton Rouge, La.

Education: bachelor’s degree in medical technology,
Louisiana State University

Employment: accounts payable manager

Donna Woodfork

Could not
be reached for comment.

Prudence Sanchez

Age: 50

Born in: Baton Rouge, La.

Education: juris doctorate degree, Texas Wesleyan
University School of Law; bachelor’s degree in applied arts and sciences,
University of North Texas; associate of science in dental hygiene, University
of New Mexico

Education: Monterey High School, Lubbock; University of
Texas, studied in the Plan II honors liberal arts program

Employment: real estate agent, construction, property
development

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